Algiers (AFP)

Algiers lodged a complaint Friday for "defamation" with the French courts against the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which accused Algeria of having used Israeli software Pegasus for espionage purposes, before returning to these affirmations.

The complaint filed by Algiers targets statements by RSF published on July 19 on its site, the Algerian embassy in France said.

In these statements, RSF asserted that "Algeria is among the countries in possession of the Pegasus software" and that the country "would use it to spy on other parties".

The NGO then backpedaled, publishing an erratum on Friday: "First, we included Algeria in the list of NSO client countries. This error, which we regret, has been corrected."

"In addition to their defamatory and deceptive nature, these inadmissible allegations are part of the manipulation of RSF known for its relentlessness vis-à-vis Algeria", accused the embassy, ​​stressing that Algeria "formally denies these accusations".

Algeria "does not have this software at all and has never had to use it, deal with or collaborate in any way whatsoever with the parties holding this technology for espionage purposes", concludes -she.

For the secretary general of RSF, Christophe Deloire, "Algeria highlights a small and regrettable mistake to pass itself off as a victim of conspiracy, which does not make sense."

"It is an overreaction on the part of a regime accustomed to overbidding and excess," he said, requested by AFP.

"There was really no malicious intent and there is certainly no manipulation vis-à-vis Algeria, there is no relentlessness."

Algerian justice also announced Thursday the opening of a preliminary investigation after press revelations that Algeria is one of the victims of Israeli spyware Pegasus.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry on Thursday expressed "its deep concern following the revelations (...) indicating the large-scale use by the authorities of certain countries, and in particular by the Kingdom of Morocco, of spyware called + Pegasus + against Algerian officials and citizens ".

The organizations Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International obtained a list of 50,000 phone numbers, selected by customers of NSO - the Israeli company that designed Pegasus - for potential surveillance, and shared it with a consortium of 17 media outlets who revealed its existence on Sunday.

The list of potential targets includes the numbers of at least 180 journalists, 600 politicians, 85 human rights activists or 65 business leaders, according to the analysis of the consortium - which has located many in Morocco.

This case comes at a time when relations between Algeria and Morocco are at their lowest due to the dispute over Western Sahara.

© 2021 AFP